Cake Pops with Colorful Sprinkles

Reviewed by Cake Pops
Rating: 5

This recipe and images were brought to us by Veronica from Recipe Rhapsody, she did an amazing job documenting the process. Enjoy!

Cake Pops
Makes 40-50 pops

Bake the cake mix according to package directions. You can purchase Betty Crocker Supermoist Cake Mix on Amazon. Once it’s cool, crumble the cake into a large bowl. I prefer to process mine in the food processor to fine crumbs. Place in a large bowl and stir in half of the frosting container or 1/2 cup of your homemade frosting. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined and thick like a truffle center. Mix in additional frosting if necessary.

Roll mixture into 1″ balls and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. I usually do this step the day before and then dip them the following day. Do not freeze them before dipping or it may cause the chocolate to crack after they are dipped.
Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the flat end of the cake balls. (Bakerella says to insert a little less than halfway, but I go more than halfway b/c I imagine they stay put a little better when dipping.)
The cake balls will have a flat bottom from resting on the cookie sheet. Insert the stick into this end so the top will be round.

Carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered, remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too. Immediately cover with sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set, then insert in a styrofoam block to harden.

You want the chocolate to come over the platform you created when inserting the chocolate-dipped stick, but you don’t have to cover it all the way to the stick.
Tap off the excess chocolate.
Add sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set.
I wrap my styrofoam board in plastic wrap to keep it clean so I can reuse it.

Once the chocolate has set, put a cello bag over the top and tie the neck with some curling string and tie into a bow or curl.

Looks very yummy, I wonder how long it would take to make them. Veronica did a great job, will check out her blog a little later.

Selma223

We made them this Saturday! Great recipe, thank you!

Katie

Thanks for the recipe. This will be very helpful when I attempt to make them for my sister’s baby shower. Thanks!

SJL

Just attempted this recipe. Total disaster. I think I made the balls to big; it might also be better to go with the solid lollipop sticks; the ones I used were hollow and the cake pops kept slipping down. Only 8 out of 35 turned out. They are delicious, though.

Beth

I tried these last night. I must have made the balls too big and not put enough icing . Most did not stay together well, the rest slid down the stick after I stuck them in the styrofoam to dry. I will try them again later with a few adjustments. Maybe it won’t be such a mess.

Danielle

Thank you, i will attempt this recipe myself also so hopefully they will turn out well. I have tasted these that someone else made and they were delicious. I plan to use the Wilton’s meltable white chocolate and strawberry cake so hopefully they will turn out well!!

Christina

Just attempted this recipe and only 2 balls were successful. The first ball was eaten and the second managed to slide down the stick. The chocolate we used must not have been the correct one, bcuz it turned mushy in the fondue pot. The consistency of the balls we thought were too mushy. it didnt taste like cake at all…

Nicole

I tasted someone’s and they used strawberry cake a witons white chocolate. I help her after school and I tasted it was a bomb of wonder

lisa

i see your video and thats the same chocolate pot melter i use but why is it that i used almond bark and it didn’t come out as good as yours please tell what i could be doing wrong i did every thing your doing. even before i get half way my bark start’s to harden in the melter why is that. i even tried a crock pot thinking that maybe my chocolate melter not strong enough. but same thing is happening please help what should i do? i spend so much money on chocolate barks that i don’t even use up because by the time i finish my cake pops it harden even when the chocolate melter pot is still on.

http://www.danascheller.com Dana Scheller

If you refrigerate the “dough” after you mix the cake crumbs and icing, it’s easier to roll the cake into balls. Then refrigerate them again overnight before you try to dip them. If they are too warm or room temperature when you try to dip them, they will fall down the stick while you’re trying to dip them.

This is best if you make it a two day process.

sarah criss

This recipe was SUPER EASY and I’ve had a ton of people thank me for these (I gave them as thank you gifts to some special people). I did use Candi Quik (I’m a busy momma). The Candi Quik was think and I had to spoon it on. I’ll be trying the bark. I also added a half a bag of Heath bits. Not over powering but added a little something. And yes, refrigerate the dough to make it easier to work with and more firm!

Shawna Talles

I first tried your recipe and technique in March and made my brother a cake pop bouquet for his birthday. He says it was the best birthday “cake” he ever had! Since that was such a success I made a bouquet of cake pops for each of my two cousins that graduated from high school and both felt they were special! Many have asked for the recipe and I just send them the link for your website. Now, I am preparing to make them for my best friends wedding possibly doing a bouquet for the rehersal dinner and using 1 cake pop as a favor in the wedding dinner place setting. So versatile! Love doing it!

Susan Dias

how long do the pops stay moist and about how many pops will this make??

Stephanie Lugo

Cake is in the oven – I’m hoping these work as I’m making them for my grandson’s baseball team for their end of the season team party tonight. If they work, I’ll be the hero, if they don’t – I’ll be at the store buying cookies and/or a cake and look like I’m to lazy to bake!!! Wish me luck.

cakepops

Stephanie, good luck! I generally recommend making them at least once before the event so that you can get a better handle on them.

Laura

A good friend of mine made these yesterday for our moms group (really she was just using us as guinea pigs as she has an event coming up and she wanted to do a test run) THEY WERE FANTASTIC!!! I will not tell you how many I had because it is shameful, but I will be making my own today and tomorrow because I HAVE TO HAVE MORE!!!

cakepops

Laura I am the same way!

Gloria

I am making these for work. I hope they turn out.

jennifer

I made these for my husband to take to his works bake sale. We got a call a few hours later saying they were a big hit and a co-worker wanted the recipe AND a batch for her birthday later this week. Thanks for making this so easy!

Corinna

My husband and I were looking for a chocolate cake pop recipe to make for my mother in-law. I think we are going to try this one. We made red velvet ones last week, ( our very first attempt at making cake pops), and they turned out great! We are excited to try choclate ones!

Stacy

What is the best way to store them? Refigerate, leave out, or freeze?

Jennifer

I am making the cake pops now for 4th of July party. I am not sure what truffle consistency is. I added more cake crumbs (used 16.5 oz cake mix) because I thought the mix was too moist & would not hold together. I have the mix in the refrigerator for an hour before I roll into balls. I am worried that the mix is too thick now & will crumble. It would be helpful to know what the consistency should be (moist, thick, like playdoe, etc).

Charlene

We loved your video especially the kids. I was wondering how you put frosting on the cake pops. Thanks for the great idea.

Susie

I made these twice…… huge hit both times! Everyone said I should sell them, and they all wanted to recipe! A lot of work, but worth it.

Meg A

you do freeze the cake after you role them into like ball form cause it helps stick together better so that it wouldnt fall apart as easily then when you freeze them for about a half and hour to forty mins and you then you continue the recipe as plans you melt the chocolate or what ever dont glaze it wont work slowly dip the chocolate in after you put the sticks or they wont stay together and crumble then your sprinkle the tops to it

Arlene

OMG!! These were sooooooo good!! I can’t stop eating them. They were kind of messy to make, but worth it!!!

alexis

i want to make something like this but, i’m one of the unluckly people in the world that can’t eat chocolate or any form of nuts could you make something vanilla? please!

Hayley

I just made these with my mum, they are in the fridge ready to be coated in yumminesssss! we used the little cupcake cake pop molds and they look so good! hopefully they turn out even better
yours look fab too!

mandy show

Where can I find the sticks? besides online?

leslie

Love, love, love these. Do make sure not to roll your balls larger than 1- 1 1/2″ in diameter and make sure that the balls are cold before dipping, or they will fall. I recommend bringing 10 balls out of the fridge at a time.

Alisha Irmen

Made these for my sons 3rd birthday party turned out amazing thanks for the receipe and helpful hints

athena

i am making these for a friend who is visiting me, she is turning 18 and i really hope she likes them!!!! any ideas????

http://www.solarflaresunstudio.com solar flare

Thanks so much for sharring all your tips. We going to be making some forour free tanning weekend at the salon, hopefully all the clients really like them i know we do =) we are also using a white cake mix and doing the same steps im hoping this should turn out fine. Thanks again the girls at Solar Flare Sun Studio

melanie

I see that some have complained about the consistency of their chocolate. If you get your melts/chocolate to hot it wil get lumpy and dry. If you get water in it you will have the same results. If you melt it in the micro just do it 15 sec at at a time. when it is shiny it should be melted. It will retain it’s shape when melted until stirred. Now instead of $3.00 a pop at starbucks I have got to try this myself!

Erin

i had never heard of these before today, and after check them out here, i am SOOO doing some for my sons 3rd b-day party, which is 3 days away. so just in time!

mb

I am wanting to make these for graduation party in the spring but have not seen a lot of information on making a lot in advance. Can they be frozen? Would you just freeze the cake balls w/o the frosting until right before the event? Any information would be helpful. Thanks!!

Cheri

My girlfriend put on a darling babyshower, I made a diaper cake, with a topper of streamers standing about a foot high. She put baby face cake pops in the diaper cake it was so cute! Tasty too

Reina

Can you use whipped store bought frosting and or should I use the regular kind?

Codi

I’m attempting to make these in one day! My cousin did it, and I’m a WAY better baker than she… At the moment I’m getting ready to coat the strawberry cake mixed with strawberry icing balls made earlier today in softened strawberry icing. Then immediately dipping in several shades of pink sprinkles. My daughters 3rd birthday party is tomorow, and unfortunately I have a mandatory staff meeting at work from 8 to 10 am. This leaves me no time to dip and rerefridgerate! WISH ME LUCK!!!

I use the whole can of frosting, let set a bit so it won’t be too sticky to roll balls. Chill balls well (don’t freeze) before dipping in chocolate. If chocolate gets too warm or sits in melter too long it will get thick and hard. Work fast and add a tiny bit of cooking oil to thin a little as you go. Most stuff you need can be purchased at a cake decorating shop, Michael’s Crafts, or online. Everyone loves them, it gives you frosting in every bite so tastes very moist. Best kept in fridge, haven’t tried freezing the finished pop. Any way you can store a cake, you can store a pop. We think they just taste better chilled. I recently made 3 cake mixes worth for a Boy Scout troop. Went over great, easier to serve than cake, and even dieting adults will try them cause just one pop is less than a serving of cake. Have fun, and use your imagination with combos.

brandy

I am going to make these for my daughters 3rd birthday. They look so cool and good. Your directions and video was the best I found online. I do have one question after making the suckers and sticking them in the foam do you place them back in the fridg till ready to be served?

Kimberly

These are fabulous! Took some time to make though but the results were worth it. I was wondering how long they would hold up for wrapped in the bags. Do they need to be eaten right away or will they hold for a few days?

Pella

I tried my first attempt I only made 8 balls only one made it to a cake pop the rest the lollipop stick was slipping right threw them I think I my have made the balls way to big I used a 1/8cup to measure the size. I am not giving up. I am going to keep trying until I get this. I also think my cake balls were not moist or crumbled enough. this is just trial and era 1.

Question: can you save the Candy Melt after you have used it or should you just get rid of it?

Jennifer

I made cake pops for the first time this week. Turned out great! I just wanted to share that I used the small cookie scoop from Pampered Chief to make the cake balls all the same size. I would pack in a tight scoop then release into hands to roll into ball shape. (very fast)

Melissa

ANSWERED QUESTION AND TIPS For those having problems dipping. Go to a craft store and buy their candy melts don’t use chocolate chips or almond bark not worth the waste if time or money. You can save the unused candy melts or keep used for a day or two. They can last quite a while 5-7 days although they don’t normally last that long. You can freeze the balls prior to dipping but only 15-20mins much longer and candy melt will crack and have a splotchy finish. You do not have to refrigerate the finished product. You can buys sticks and melts and tons of other accessories at any craft store and even walmart (costs more). The consistency of a truffle is slightly firm and very smooth feel like a very soft fresh play dough.

Rowena

My son’s school is having a bake sale. I’d like to make this but does anyone know how well it keeps if the weather out will be hot? The sale will be outside in the middle of the afternoon…my guess is that will be sweltering.

http://aol Marie

My grandsons 1st birthday party was planned for this weekend, he got sick so we had to change the date. I made the pops as favors, so we got to test taste. I loved to bake and I thought these were great and easy. We all loved them, but my5 yr old grandson likes them plain, just cake balls.Thanks for the great ideas..

http://www.2suburbanmoms.com Season Skuro

I just make these cake pops last night for my daughter’s bake sale at school. I bought the Wilton chocolate melter but it didn’t keep the chocolate warm enough and it gooped up on me. I used the Wilton Chocolate Melts and they were a total goopy, globby, think chocolate mess! I had to abort the mission and thakfully I had bought Trader Joes chocolate melts which I found in my pantry and they melted in the microwave to a nice thin shiny chocolate. When I “dipped” the cake balls, they began to come off the stick (even though I chilled them and made them really sticky and firm) so I had to use a spoon to spoon chocolate on top and gently roll them. I had to hold the cake pop for a minute to let the chocolate cool before sprinkling them and putting them up-right in foam – otherwise they began to drip. They turned out GREAT but a hell of a lot more work than this video showed it to be… dipping doesn’t seem to work all that great to be honest…. not sure where I went wrong.

Kristen

I made a vanilla version of these dipped in Wilton melts. I had the same problem as the last poster- the melts were too thick and I had to spoon the chocolate over the cake pops instead. I thought the wilton melts were supposed to be easier than real chocolate, but they weren’t for me. I may get the chocolate warmer to see if that helps keep the melts at the right temp for dipping.

andrea

Kristen,
The Wilton chocolate warmer is great! However, be careful to switch it to “warm” after you’ve melted your chocolate or it will seize up. I always have to use a thinner with Wilton melts (I use Paramount Crystals), but never with Alpine melts that I buy at my local cake store. You can use veg. oil to thin your chocolate, but sometimes it will give the chocolate a greasy or nasty after taste.

denise

i just tried to make these and they totally did not work. It was my first time making cake pops. I bought the chocolate melts at AC Moore and I found them to be too thick. My pops wouldn’t come out of the chocolate. The cake pops themselves weren’t right either…maybe I made them a little too big. They seemed really dense and heavy. Even though I knew it was cooked, I felt like I was eating cookie dough batter or something. Oh well, guess I’ll try again…want to make them for Thanksgiving! Anyone have any tips on making the chocolate thinner?

Christina

I saw another video/recipe for how to make cake pops and in it, they used a tbsp of crisco, added to the melted chocolate coating to make the coating slightly thinner and smoother. Also, they refrigerated the pops after they inserted the lollipop sticks, to help the pop stay on the stick better when dipping. I haven’t tried it this way yet, but it might be easier to dip, with less risk of the pop sliding down the stick or the pop falling apart in the coating.

Kristine

Making cake pops tomorrow for the first time, for my daughter’s Fall party. For those of you complaining about the balls falling off, I notice that Bakerella dips the sticks in the melted chaocolate before putting the cake balls on them. I’m thinking this might help with the balls falling off.

maggie

Here’s a great tip-try to buy white chocolate then you can dye it to color using simple food coloring. This way you are not stuck with just brown! you can make white faces, yellow, orange, green, etc depending on the holiday and the season. You can also buy colored choc chips at most craft stores_I know Michael’s sells Wilton brand choc melts and has a decent selection.

andrea

Maggie,

You can’t use regular food coloring in chocolate because it is water-based and will seize your chocolate making it unusable. Make sure you purchase OIL BASED candy coloring!

Miranda

Michaels has a great selection of colored candy melts that work well.

maggie

Kristine-if you add a bit more frosting to the cake mix, it should bind together. also I freeze mine for just a few minutes after I insert the sticks with the chocolate to harden them up a bit before dipping in the hot choc mix. I also work in really small batches so they don’t get to room temp prior to dipping in choc-hope this helps!
Maggie

rosetta

I plan to fix these for my grandson’s 12th birthday. Would I store in fridge to keep fresh or just cover? Thx

chloe

thnx for the recipe.mine came out great and im only 10 years old.me and my family had a great time and they were delious

Meranda

How long do you bake them??? Or do you? That wasnt really made clear. =/

andrea

Meranda,

You don’t bake the cake pop itself. 1. Bake a cake as you normally would. 2. After cake is completely cooled, crumble it into a large bowl and add frosting. 3. Mix the crumbled cake and frosting very well with a spatula, spoon, or hands. 4. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes or in fridge for 30 minutes or so. 5. Remove from freezer/fridge. 6. Hand roll cake balls and place on cookie sheet (or pan) lined with wax paper. 7. Place back in freezer/fridge for 5 – 15 minutes. 8. Melt chocolate. 9. Remove from freezer/fridge and dip sticks in melted chocolate about 1/2 inch to 1 inch (depends on size of your cake balls); insert about halfway into cake ball.
10. Place back into freezer/fridge for 5 – 15 minutes to let chocolate harden. 11. Remove from freezer or fridge. 12. Dip cake balls into melted chocolate. **TIP** When dipping, insert cake ball into chocolate straight down and pull straight up. DO NOT swirl around in chocolate. If your bowl isn’t deep enough to cover the entire ball you can rock it (forward, backward, left, and right) for coverage or use a spoon and pour chocolate on exposed cake pop. 13. Allow excess chocolate to run off into bowl. **TIP** I do tap mine, but very gently and I use Bakerella’s technique; Hold in one hand and use the other to lightly tap the wrist holding the cake pop. You can also use a toothpick or spatula to direct the flow of chocolate. 14. Place upright in styrofoam or cake pop decorating tray. 15. Place back in freezer/fridge for 5 minutes to set chocolate (this step is optional… the chocolate will set on its own at room temp.).

Summer

Well…I definitely had my work cut out for me…if they fall apart or do not stay on stick it’s because they need to be cooler. So left balls in fridge for at least 3-4 hours. The almond bark I used to coat them stayed nice and melted once I added vegetable oil. I didn’t have a melting pot just used the microwave. They were the cutest at first but I think a few more times in I might be good at this. Thanks for help!!!

Shannon

Awesome recipe! Just made them this morning with my 3 year old nephew. It was a complete success. Not a single pop fell off the stick. I did make the pops the night before and let them chill in the fridge all night which I think was important.

allesya

can i used moist cake to make pop cake..tq

andrea

Allesya,

I use all kinds of cake when making pops. Moist cakes (like my homemade chocolate cake) will require less frosting or they get too gooey. With my chocolate cake (that is very moist) I use a homemade chocolate fudge frosting that firms up the mixture quite nicely. If you’re talking about moist cakes from a box mix; you’ll add the normal amount of frosting.

Alyson

Oh my gosh! I just made these with my mom, and they are super yummy! My friend wants ot know, is it ok to just melt chocolate chips for the “candy coating” she doesnt have the real stuff, and I used all mine

andrea

Alyson,

Chocolate chips don’t harden like chocolate bark or candy melts… it would be risky to use them, but not impossible.

Sabrina Sofea

Looks kinda hard

Christacc

I thought it would be hard as well, but I decided to make them for my daughters birthday, they were SUPER EASY!!!

Donna

These are GREAT!!! and EASY!!! Wondering with the holidays coming up has anyone made them and frozen them. Just trying to schedule my baking

Cathy

I had some that were frozen for 2 months and tasted as good as the fresh ones.

Lori

If I do not want to melt chocolate…..Can I use frosting (only) on the cooled cake pops? and roll in sprinkles? Also, I just found in the store yesterday Duncan hines “Glazes”, could i warm that up and slightly coat the cake pops with this also? Thank you so much for your time!

Tessa

Will the icing make a swirl with the chocolate dip?! I don’t know if that will inferfear with the mixing.

Sophiekencorbett

Im a little confused…. can you use basically anything to dip your pops?

Naomi

I tried these and they were a real hit at a Christmas dinner party. They were certainly labour-intensive and I had a few dipping issues (like the dip was too thick and heavy but a double boiler pan might have solved that) and I gave up coating the entire ball. I used just white or semi-sweet chololate to dip and they worked fine. They took a bit longer to set than they might have if I had used melting wafers or candy coating, which just doesn’t exist in Canadian grocery stores – I looked.

Anonymous

Wow Naomi, they look great!!! Great Job!

Carrie2 0

Chocolate Melting Wafers are available in Canada – Bulk Barn is where I get mine – they come in every colour of the rainbow too!

Maria

You can get candy coating at Michael’s Craft stores in Canada. I bought some this weekend and they are available in vanilla, mint chocolate, light chocolate and dark chocolate

domestic goddess

you can get the Merkens chocolate at Bulk Barn. Same thing.

Green Carolyng

Can you freeze the pops after you make them?

http://meincupcake.de/shop Kyoungmi

Of course you can freeze them. Somewhere between frozen and warm Cake Pops are very delicious

Gailpatrice

I also want the answer to the freezing question! CAn’t wait to make them!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GWPIXEGEEZKVMJJZECHHHVATPM Jonelle

Please, please, please tell me I didn’t ruin mine…my little daughters and I worked so hard on cake part, then I put them in the freezer-uncovered-overnight!! Am I going to have to redo these? Holy cow what a mess with little ones!!

Anonymous

If you freeze them, thaw slowly in the fridge if can.

Sallie_terry

Do they have to be put in the freezer??

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GWPIXEGEEZKVMJJZECHHHVATPM Jonelle

Will these be totally dried out cake?

Amber Tam

Thanks for posting this recipe! I followed it exactly and made my daughter some for her Christmas Birthday… stuck them into a Styrofoam Christmas tree that was wrapped in wired tinsel… It turned out so cute! Perfect for kids to enjoy on the go:)

I used this recipe for favors for my daughter’s engagement party and they were a big hit! Everybody raved how delicious they were. The recipe was easy to follow and this pictures along with the instructions really helped. This was my first time making cake pops. I used Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix and vanilla candy coating then sprinkled them with blue sprinkles. I attached a picture with the finished product with a bow and a little tag with their wedding date on them.

Mellystubbs

anyone know the nutritional value?

Katiem

That’s funny! Highly caloric and good for the soul!

Melinda_gee

I made these for my son’s 2nd birthday. I used white chocolate for the outside chocolate. They were a hit for the real young ones and well as the older ones! I think these are going to be a revolution here in Australia! thanks so much!

M Salkovick

I’m in Brooke High School Color Guard. Next year will be my last year and we are planning on buying new uniforms and equiptment. I’m starting to look now for fundraisers that are different and fun that people would be intereste in and that would sell fast. One of the other girls in guard mentions that we should make cake pops and sell them for a dollar. would this be a good idea?
Please relpy with any other ideas or comments.
Thanks!

boy cooks

we just made sum yum!!!

Sarahrobins12

Thank you for the thorough explanations and pictures. I look forward to making these for a bridal shower!

Hblaurie91606

thanks for simplifying the steps….other sites don’t do that!

Lady_wllms

Wow this was the best and easiet recipe to follow. Which made my cake pops come out perfect…Love it!!!

Clairevan99

To the Representative of the Brooke High School Color Guard, I think that this would be a great idea!!!! And to Veronica, today is my birthday and we are making these to bring to my soccer team today! I’m really hoping that they all love them! This recipe is uber-easy, and extra fun and creative! Thanks so much for posting it!

Stormy3470

these are sooo easy and super good, my kids and I made these this evening they turned out perfect

Brandi_bb

Thank you for the recipe and advice. I was hoping you could make them with just boxed cake and a jar of frosting. When does a mom have to time to make them from scratch! lol

Brandi_bb

Oh yeah, the pictures are extremely helpful too!

Yash

It is soooo yummy

yomama

no one cares

Yash

It is soooo yummy

Yash

It is sooo yummy!

Yash

It is sooooooo yummy

Yash

Like it sooooo much!!!!!!!!

Jean

Instructions were awesome, thanks for sharing. Love the pops.

http://www.facebook.com/linda.karling Linda Karling

can I add lemon juice to vanilla frosting before I blend the crumbled cake and frosting together? or will it make it too moist?